I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” ~ Psalm 91:2
READING: Romans 5:1-5
No matter what else God may do in our lives at any given time, once we become Christians God utilizes every circumstance to spur us to a deeper relationship with Him and a fuller dependence upon Him for every aspect of our lives. Sometimes the focus of His maneuvering invites us to trust Him for our public ministry, sometimes for family stresses, sometimes for our personal journey of faith. But secretly or overtly, God continually presses us regarding our trust.
I’ve identified two main pincers of this relentless focus. God sends us 1) the lavish evidence of His trustworthiness from all sides. He uses the evidence found in creation; the evidence of His character as discovered in Scripture; He gives us the evidence of marvelously answered prayer; and He gives us evidence in the satisfaction we find in our growing relationship with the Living Christ.
On the other hand, God regularly sends us 2) obstacles that threaten our pre-conceived ideas about God and shake the good or bad things we trust. When our car breaks down or our daughter gets sick or our denomination cuts the funding for our church plant, it threatens our complacency and tests the depths of our trust in God.
At this juncture, some supposed Christians fall away from faith in Christ (Luke 8:13). Some genuine Christians begin to harbor hidden doubts and reservations about God’s character. But true joy is found by those who remember the abundant evidence of God’s trustworthiness and rise to the challenge to trust God and find Him present within the struggle of each day.
Father, Help me to cooperate with Your agenda and embrace each obstacle as a new opportunity to deepen my trust in You. Amen.
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